Used arms to remove obstructions (7)
I believe the answer is:
elbowed
'used' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with contact as well as being past participle verbs.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'arms to remove obstructions' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'arms' could be 'bow' (bow is a kind of arms) and 'bow' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for elbowed that I've seen before include "Jostled" , "Pushed (someone aside)" .)